Using data from U.S. Census and OECD, the note defines poverty as those populations who fall below 50% of that country’s median per capita income. It then provides a brief statistical tour of six key challenges facing such populations: Income and Jobs, Healthcare, Education, Affordable Housing, Financial Inclusion, and Incarceration. The note then provides a brief overview of the social safety net programs in the U.S. that are meant to address the identified challenges. It then concludes with a brief statistical tour of the rest of the OECD countries with respect to similar deprivations.

Rangan, V. Kasturi, and Tricia Gregg. "The Scope of Business at the Base of the Pyramid: Poverty in the U.S. and Other OECD Countries." Harvard Business School Technical Note 518-037, January 2018. (Revised February 2018.)
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